Monthly Archives: April 2015

Struggling to find a suitable substrate for a wall installation at a new hospital, Arizona artist Archie Sutton’s online discovery of Greatmats.com was a pleasant surprise. Sutton, eight years removed from an Air Force career, was facing his biggest artistic challenge since becoming a full-time artist. His project… create a commercial installation on a 12 feet by 20 feet curved wall in the Veteran’s Hall of the new Canyon Vista Medical Center in Sierra Vista, Ariz.

“I wanted to do something that occupied the space with a sense of flow on a static wall,” Sutton said. “I wanted to honor veterans, but also the staff, patients and visitors of the hospital.”

Sutton, who was asked by the hospital art team to provide sample ideas, sketched out a gray silhouette of his “Stars and Stripes” piece on white paper. The rest was an act of faith on behalf of the art team as they entrusted this large project to Sutton on very little information.

Sutton looked at balsa wood, foam and landscaping materials to serve the structural needs of the project and initially settled on horse stall mats. But he quickly realized that option was much too heavy to hang on the wall. That’s when a web search led him to Greatmats.com where he found just what he was looking for.

Impressed by “good options and good prices,” Sutton opted for Pebble Top Foam Gym Floor Tiles to serve the purpose. Flexibility, durability, weight and aesthetics all played important roles in the choice of mats.

Sutton commended Greatmats staff for answering his questions about the product and handling the ordering process in a professional manner. “Tina was great.” he said.

“I wanted my substrate to be black and have a relief from the wall of ¾ inch,” Sutton added. “When I found pebble top foam, it all came together. … (It’s characteristics) gave me peace of mind to know it was archival to last for many years as real-property in a permanent commercial setting.”

Needing the pieces to connect, Sutton used 17 interlocking tiles of the foam gym floor. The mats’ interlocking tabs allowed the piece to attach, unnoticed, to the wall. It also made it possible to move the entire piece in manageable 2 feet by 2 feet sections.

“It provided me the an aesthetic relief off the wall that helped create shadows and the flow I was looking for,” Sutton said. “The mats gave me the ability of conforming the wall sculpture in a seamless fashion to a curved space.”

Sutton cut and polished the tiles and then seamed the interlocking pieces together with a circuit board on site. He then used pale patina’d circuit copper board for the stars and white stripes.

“I left out the blue and red to blend and marry into the existing wall.”

“Doing a flag is tricky,” Sutton said. “We see it every day. Bringing something unique that also is respectful and represents my body of work was my vision.”

After more than 400 hours of work on the project, Sutton’s finished product covered more than 160 square feet (8.8 feet by 18.8 feet) and weighed just 60 pounds. As for his 8 remaining Greatmats tiles… He sent those over to his brother’s restaurant to be used in a walk-in refrigerator.

View a brief slide of Sutton’s sculpture process at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8n8CcGQxO-o

Archie Sutton creates his Stars and Stripes sculpture using Pebble Top Foam Gym Floor Tiles found at Greatmats.com.

Greatmats offers a large collection of flooring that will turn your basement into a welcoming space for kids, family or the active individual. We offer long-lasting, interlocking foam and rubber tiles ideal for any basement floor. Flooring products are also available for family rooms, play areas and gym floors and are sold in tiles, rolls and mats. Greatmats has products that are non-water absorbent, as well as raised flooring tiles that allow for air flow. Flooring materials area also available in carpet, vinyl, foam and PVC surfaces. Our wide varieties of flooring solutions help keep a room safe, soft and comfortable.

High quality basement flooring can add color, comfort and warmth to areas that need a finishing touch. The right product can help turn an unfinished space into a functional living area. Most Greatmats products are designed ready to place directly over a hard, flat surface. To choose the best material for your basement, consider how the space will be used. Whether you are planning to build a home gym, family room or kids play areas, knowing what you want to do will help us to provide you with the flooring best fit for your basement.

Home Gyms

Greatmats has rubber flooring available in rolls or interlocking tiles. Rubber is ideal to place under exercise equipment because it is hard and durable. We provide rubber flooring from ¼-inch to 1-inch thickness. Our rubber flooring is available in a variety of colors, plain black or black with colored flecks.

Our interlocking material is simple to install, as it requires no tape or glue to set. This material protects concrete surfaces and the exercise equipment set on top of it. Since the rubber connects together, no adhesive is necessary to install, and it is also quick and easy to remove. This material is a primary option for most in home workout spaces.

The most affordable option for rubber flooring is our rolled material, which also protects concrete floors and exercise equipment. Rolled rubber flooring is most commonly installed in larger spaces, such as commercial gyms, but in-home installation is also possible. For the best results, we recommend using tape for temporary use of the material, and adhesive for more permanent installations. Our rolled rubber flooring is sold in lengths of 10 feet and longer. It is shipped via freight delivery, except for 4’x10’x¼” rolls.

Foam flooring tiles are an economical option for basements, great for exercise rooms and kids play areas. The tiles come in a number of different colors, textures and thicknesses. Soft, safe, warm, and easy to install, foam tiles are comfortable to walk on and can brighten up an ordinary colorless basement. Our ethylene-vinyl acetate (EVA) foam floor material is waterproof and provides a safer, softer surface to walk on.

Multifunctional Rooms

Available carpeted flooring for basements includes interchangeable, snap-together tiles and interlocking carpet top, foam cushioned tiles. Both options add comfort to a hard surface and are perfect for use on damp basement floors. Our interlocking, foam-backed tiles provide comfort and cushion support. Both options are manageable to maintain and installation is simple. No adhesive or carpet pad is necessary.

The best carpet tiles we have to offer are our Royal interlocking tiles. Durable, foam-cushioned and soft to the touch, this material provides a warm and comfortable flooring option for your basement. A thick, non-water absorbent, foam bottom makes for a comfortable surface over a hard basement floor. Available in a variety of designer colors, the tiles are easy to remove, clean, reinstall and dry easily if wet.

Moisture AND Style?

Raised floor tiles are a material to be considered when addressing moisture issues in your basement. These tiles are water and moisture resistant. They feature an elevated base system which allows air to move under the finished flooring surface.

Our Max tile is a raised floor option that is eye pleasing and reliably durable. The material snaps easily together and can be temporarily or permanently installed. The tiles can be cut for a wall-to-wall fit. Max tiles come in a several design options and are strong enough to last for years. Choose from a variety of stone, grain or wood looks, including light or dark oak, maple, cherry or walnut plank, slate or stone. This is a higher quality material and a popular solution for your basement flooring needs.

Another carpeted raised flooring material available is our CarpetFlex tile. This is an affordable material which features a strong, interlocking plastic base and a carpeted surface. Similar to the Max tile, CarpetFlex is a raised flooring option that allows air to flow underneath the tiles. Easy to install, and available in two colors, this tile works great on basement floors, family rooms, utility rooms or entry ways.

For island installations in larger rooms, flooring material with border options may be useful to consider. Much of our flooring material is designed with straight or ramped borders that give a more finished look to your floor. When installing wall-to-wall flooring, think about starting the material either in the corner of the room that shares two of the longest walls, or in the center of the room, cutting the tiles to fit wall to wall.

Installation and Maintenance

Installing basement flooring is usually a simple, do-it-yourself task. Most of our materials, especially snap-together and interlocking tiles, require little time and can be easily removed. Maintaining them is as simple as it is to clean other household floors. Make sure to use neutral pH floor cleaner when cleaning rubber material.

For questions or concerns about our flooring products, we can provide more information through customer service. We will also assist with volume price quotes and product samples. Be sure to view our product pages on our website for detailed description of all materials. Reviews can help provide information about the various features of different flooring products.

With the Greatmats online Pro Floor Plan Designer, you can easily create a scaled layout of a basement flooring project. The Pro Floor Designer allows you to enter room dimensions, explore product options, and calculate the amount of material needed to complete your flooring project. Once you’ve finished, you can add products to your shopping cart, calculate shipping costs, and request a quote directly from customer service.

Basement flooring material can be shipped via freight or ground delivery. Small orders and most foam tiles are delivered ground service, by FedEx or UPS. Rubber material and larger, heavier orders might require freight delivery. For questions about product delivery, please contact customer service at 877-822-6622 or info@greatmats.com.